The drive from Downtown to the Smith's estate went in a trance. Namjoon sat quietly in the passenger side seat as Rae pulled through the crowds of the northern streets to the comparatively wider and less occupied southern part of the clan's capital city. The houses and apartment buildings became scarcer and grander on the path, making their way to the widest estate that had belonged to the alpha family for generations.

"It's me," Rae's voice commanded respect, more than attention, when she spoke into the intercom. From somewhere behind the massive, and shielded iron gate, in an outhouse control room, Levi buzzed her in. The distance between the outer gate to the manor was not too little, yet Rae covered it in a couple of seconds.

Hopping out of the car that she very skillfully parked, she rushed inside. Her hand reached out to her ankle, in an act of habit, to take off her heels and she immediately tsk-ed when she realized those were sport's shoes.

Namjoon followed her footsteps, carefully choosing his next words. It went without saying that Rae was pissed - any parent would be - and Dakota would receive an earful. Who needed more consoling, was a question Namjoon didn't know the answer to.

Teaching Dakota for the past week had been endearing to him. The teenager was like a gust of fresh air, a reminiscence of his own youth, sweet and charming. True, literature was not her forte and, as a tutor, he'd have to constantly come up with new ways to get her to like the subject, but she tried - what more could a teacher ask for?

But, Rae deserved encouraging words too. After an entire day of selfish, egocentric people coming at her for trying to protect her own people, and herself, an antagonizing act from her own daughter was just the cherry on top of the cake.

The time she spent with Joon in the skating rink was embalming, but could not possibly make up for the entire day. When she pushed open the door to the living room, he sighed and gave up.

Rae stopped abruptly in the middle of the large room, and Namjoon stopped behind her. In front of them, at the kitchen counter, Taehyung, Jimin and Jungkook surrounded an intoxicated and pale Dakota. She, however, only looked pale. Her behaviour was bizzare, voice loud and words directed only at Taehyung.

"You're so cute," she cried, trying to latch her arms around the 25-year old's neck, "I think you're so cute, Taetae! Why don't.. why can't we be together? Why do you run away from me? You don't think I'm cute?"

The man seemed highly uncomfortable, if not repelled by the circumstances. But he still managed to maintain a calm disposition, and a sympathetic companionship towards his young, drunk friend.

"Dakota!" Jimin tried to sober her up. In his own hand, he held a cup of freshly squeezed lemon juice and with his other, he tried to keep her away from Taehyung.

"You're not going to like this when we joke about it later, you know. Don't.. ahh, Dakota! Stop being a baby, no?"

But she seemed to have no care for what anyone else had to say. Although it was pretty evident, her drunk self could not possibly regard the discomfort she was putting Tae through. At least until her mother's alarming voice brought everyone to attention.

"Dakota!"
No later than she had bellowed her name, Rae rushed across the room to reach her.

"Explain."
One word, and she stood in front of the lot, crossing her arms against her chest.

"Noona!" Jungkook demanded her attention. "Noona! It's okay. She'll be fine in a while."

"Dakota, I asked you something." Rae, however, chose to ignore it.

Dakota stared blankly at her for a few seconds before realizing to speak, "I got a little drunk.. at Allison's house.. and now I'm here. You want me to apologize?"

"Only if you know what you're apologizing for."

The room was soundless, except for the collective breathing of all the people that stood there. Namjoon confined himself to silence and little distance from the scene.

"Sure," Dakota scoffed and rolled her eyes - a habit she had acquired from her mother, "I'm sorry for drinking outside the house, before.. I'm 18. Although, that's literally just 3 days away."

"And?"

Dakota's head cocked up from the granite countertop at this. She was nowhere near to sobering up, but she definitely registered her mother's words better now. From what blubbered out of her mouth, it was easy to tell she had started to feel intimidated.

"A-and..?"

"You tell me."

"And.. not.. going to the skating rink when.. when you were expecting me?"

Rae tilted her head to one side and nodded. "Fair! And? What else?"

An unexpected third round made Dakota sit up straighter. Her insipid gaze was now fixated on a stack of plates neatly arranged at a corner of the slab, only in an attempt to avoid eye contact with Rae. The latter's words were not obnoxious, at least to a stranger or a passer-by. But her tone was enough to bring up tears in the teenager's eyes.

"What else, Dakota?"

"I-I don't know," the little girl looked curled up while her mother charged her with questions.

The others exchanged glances, not knowing what to say or do anymore. Namjoon beckoned to them from behind Rae, urging them to leave, but the moment they stepped one foot away from their previous disposition, Rae stopped them. All they could do now was stand their ground and watch.

"I.." Dakota still mumbled, waiting for Rae to answer her own question. And she did.

"Drunk or not, Dakota, you're not allowed to be touchy with another person and say things that make them uncomfortable. Your Dad and I didn't teach you all about consent since you were 5, so that you can go ahead and apply it to yourself only. If you know what I'm talking about, apologize."

"I.. I'm sorry." Dakota spoke in murmurs, but it was audible in the absence of any other sound.

"To whom?"

The embarassment on Dakota's face was as clear as daylight, and what was clearer was Rae's intention in having it no other way. When the daughter looked up, the mother swiped a finger towards Tae, ordering her to go on with it. Dakota turned her body towards who she had been flirting with a few seconds ago, but did not look up.

"I'm sorry, Tae. I didn't realize how uncomfortable you were. I should have. I'm sorry."

The youngest Kim pushed his hands inside his pockets, and nodded his head. When he realized she could not see it, he cleared his throat and said, "that's okay.. Dakota," before turning towards Rae and slightly nodding.

Rae sighed and motioned the others to leave. Jimin put down the cup in front of Dakota and tapped on her shoulder once to bring it to her attention. When the space behind the counter cleared, Rae walked up towards it.

"If you're going to be so irresponsible like this, Dakota, I'd have to reconsider sending you so far away to Prakra, you know."

"Mom!"

The receding footsteps did not stop, except for one. Rae became busy with checking for food in the refrigerator and Dakota locked eyes with the dark ones of the now blue haired man. "Say sorry to her," he mouthed at her, and she nodded before he left.

A full hour passed by, before Namjoon heard a rap on his door. He had changed into a pair of shorts and a sleeveless vest. He was still hungry, but not starving like he was in Downtown, so plopping himself on the bed, he decided to munch on some cookies before going to sleep. The knock on the door only interfered with his plans.

"Oh, hi," he greeted the short woman standing in front of his door, probably for the first time in pajama shorts. In all periwinkle, Rae stood before his very eyes, holding a thick manilla package in her arms.

"Can I come in?" she asked, tilting her head towards one side and smiling broadly.

"Of course," he said, moving out of her way, "although, it's a little messy. Please don't mind that."

This room was almost a replica of the one Seokjin was staying in. Almost in the sense that, the colour on the walls was a light tint of blue instead of pink.

The head of the bed in this room was particularly different in its material - a wrought iron motif in place of the usual wood - and just above it was a massive painting of the sea, little waves crippling towards their descent, giving way to the larger ones to rise behind them.

The bed was still neatly made; from the looks of it, Namjoon didn't really tuck himself in yet. A stack of books was set on one corner of the table, and stationary laid scattered on the surface.

Only the table lamp published the rest of the room in its dim glow and to Rae, it looked pretty neat.

"You call this messy, you should see Dakota's room," she giggled before setting herself down on the corner of the bed. "You must be famished," she continued, eyeing the half-eaten pack of Oreos beside the pillow. "I heated up the dinner that was leftover. We should go, eat."

"Is Dakota feeling better now?" Namjoon asked, sitting down on his chair to face her directly.

"Yes, yes, she fell asleep while talking gibberish. So.." she dragged it a little before breaking into a breathy smile. "Umm.. I also wanted to give you this. You can wear it on Dakota's birthday, in the evening, if you like it. If you want, of course."

"Oh, you.. didn't have to do that," he remarked, sitting up straight. He showed her his palms in a form of defense but she insisted.

"I'm getting everyone something," Rae assured. "Yours just.. came in early."

She blushed a little when he finally took the bag from her hands. Watching him examine the contents, her cheeks colored even more, and the smile on her face refused to leave.

After a dinner that satiated both of them just enough, Rae invited him to join her on the backdoor porch. When he readily agreed, her heart swelled. They took their glasses of wine, Rae brought her pack of Marlboro and they quietly sat down next to each other. The wood creaked ever so slightly under their weight before giving into a silence, only accompanied by the lilting of horny crickets.

"I.." she started a conversation. "I didn't know you could skate like that. I thought you did it just for fun."

"I did learn when I was young. In fact, we had the same coach."

Namjoon turned towards her, and as if taking cue, Rae did the same. She crossed her legs in front of her chest and looked at him. The faintest light coming from the direction of the kitchen lit up his features, and Rae realized the red in her cheeks was not from the wine anymore.

"I went on Tuesdays and Saturdays," he continued. "In the evenings. I don't think our classes ever clashed. And I never competed, so you may have never heard of me for that."

"I see," she replied, placing her chin over one of her bare knees, "since when did you start skating?"

"Umm.. let's see.. since I was 10, I believe. Shortly after my mom passed."

"Your mom?"

"Yeah.. Jin hyung's and mine. Our father remarried a few months later, and then we got Taehyung."

"Oh! That explains the age difference."

"Why? This wasn't in our files?" Namjoon asked, a little sarcastically, and drank a huge gulp from his glass. She squinted her eyes at him, and followed it with a casual swat at his thigh. He smiled a thin line and stared at her feet in between them. When a faint tremor passed through Rae's head, she chose to ignore it.

Her oxblood nail paint was a pleasing color against her skin, and before Namjoon realized, his hand reached out for her right big toe.

"Your feet must hurt from falling on the ice?" He asked in a very low voice.

"It'll hurt in the morning," Rae laughed out, "and not there. Here."

She tapped a little on the side of her thigh, bringing his attention there, as if she wanted his hand to trail from her feet to there. Her heart stupidly thumped when he looked up to meet her eyes. Maybe he read her mind, or maybe he didn't - but he swiftly retracted his hand and turned away.

"The.. the nurse would probably have some pain killers, right? That should do," he said, staring into the darkness of the backyard. She frowned and pouted at his side profile, yet said nothing.

It had been nearly two decades since Rae had felt that type of way for someone. She was so curious, it was hard to keep herself from asking the more important questions, without crossing the trivial getting-to-know-each-other first steps.

It was hard to keep her hands to herself without constantly turning red, thinking about what she would do to him if she didn't have to control herself like that.
She wanted to know everything there was to know about Namjoon right now.

Starting from his favorite color, to what he liked for breakfast, to the real reason behind his chronic anxiety, to what all he liked to do or be done to in bed, and about that person. That damned human he was apparently in love with! Rae wanted to know if there was anything she could do to steer his mind away from them.

"That reminds me," he started again. "Is your father doing better?"

She shrugged. "Yeah, somewhat. I don't think he wants to get better anymore. If I had the power to legalize euthanasia, maybe he would go in peace."

"You don't have the power? You're the alpha."

"And that's not as advantageous as you think it is." Rae smirked. She then dragged a sole cigarette from her pack of Marlboro and put it to her lips.

She had read in his file that he did not smoke, but she offered one anyway. When he refused, she quietly brought up the lighter and lit her own.

"I'd get so much backlash if I suddenly pass a law about something so controversial. And, I don't think most of my 'court'," she added quotes in the air, "is ready to support me on matters like this. And that includes your father, Kookie's mother and the other ministers and advisors. And without their support, I can't really pass a law."

"True," he scratched his chin, carefully regarding the smoke she had exhaled, "Prakra is a well-advanced clan in these matters. I believe, New Oléas is also following in their footsteps?"

"Yes. I did want to make these changes quicker, you know. I don't want the clan to descend into despair after I pass. I'm sure a lot of people would have a hard time accepting Dakota as their new leader, and Dakota doesn't even.. what's up?"

Rae got interrupted in her flow of speech by Namjoon's dark dragon eyes staring kind of coldly in her direction.

"What's up, Namjoon?" she wiggled her eyebrows at him and leaned towards him.

"Why do you have to talk about your passing? You're so young," his deep, low voice quivered only slightly at his words. If it wasn't so silent around them, Rae would have easily missed it. Peering into his eyes like that, she wanted to press her lips against his right then; he looked so mesmerizing yet so comforting, Rae could not think of anything else.

She giggled instead, "my back pain would like to disagree."

Namjoon didn't avert his gaze this time. A mellow smile spread on his face as his eyes seemed to search for something in hers. Both of them held their breath in that moment, and it was no more a secret to Rae that her attraction was reciprocated.
She leaned even closer towards his persona, allowing him the decision of closing the gap.

Maybe she shouldn't have done that. She should have taken the opportunity. For, the next moment, he turned around and finally let his breath go.

"I have to teach an early morning class tomorrow," he stated, somewhat coldly. "It'd be folly to linger here any longer." A polite smile, colder than his voice, and a wave was all she got before he upped and left.

With the mandible hanging low, Rae stared at the direction of the kitchen - the direction in which Namjoon had just disappeared. Even his cold smile gave her a headache, nothing massive but still noteworthy. Pressing two fingers to the temple, she finished her cigarette, and set it off into the distance. Like a firefly, the light blinked a couple of times before dying in the grass.

A thought occurred to her. The beautiful, and joyous faces of Seokjin, Jimin, Hoseok, Taehyung and.. probably not Yoongi. There had been moments when at least one of them had been casually displaying their omega smile around her.

But never once had she been affected by them. But one smile from Namjoon had her sitting with her head in her hands - even his cold, distant, no-dimple, underwhelming smile.

Shouldn't every omega's smile affect the alpha? Wasn't that the rule? Rae grunted, as the ache in her head subsided after one last prominent wave.

It was almost 2 o' clock when she finally walked up the stairs to go to bed. Her mind still swirled with the thoughts and the questions, and although she was peacefully drunk, she knew it was not enough to drift off to sleep immediately.

She opened the door to Dakota's room only slightly, saw her fast asleep and left with a sigh. Just when she was about to walk into her room, she heard some faint music coming from the door next to hers. It wasn't a song she knew and before she knew it, her legs dragged her towards Yoongi's door and she tapped on it.

"Hi," Yoongi came out in less than a second, like he was standing just by the door. The music was gone and all that there remained was the breaths of two grown adults with responsibilities, unwilling to go to sleep. Yoongi was dressed to sleep though, in a plain white t-shirt and black boxers. A pen in between two of his fingers, however, was evident of the fact that he was working.

"What's up?" he asked, standing face-to-face with her in the doorway.

"I hope I'm not disturbing," Rae bared her hands, and smiled innocently. "Do you mind if I come in?"

Yoongi eyed her a little suspiciously before letting her in. This room was very different from the ones on the guest wing of the house. Mammoth would be an understatement!

Even Rae's own room was not like that. The walls were beige, the bedsheets and pillow covers were all white and powder blush. A plush white bedroom bench was neatly situated at the foot of the bed, and that's where a couple of notebooks resided.

Yoongi must have been sitting on the floor in front of this bench, making the study table, bed and even the unnecessary addition of a boho peacock chair completely redundant.

Rae situated herself on the chair and looked around. "Wow," she muttered, almost to herself. "I haven't been in this room in a really really long time. Do you like it here, Yoongi? Do you not feel the dark, looming presence of my father's wrath?"

"Do you need me to deal with your Daddy issues?" Yoongi smirked. He picked up his notebooks from the bench and put them back on the table. "Is that why you're here?"

"No," she replied, cheesily. "I'm here to talk about omegas."

"Omegas?" he sounded awed. "Like in general? Or the ones who live here?"

Rae pretended to think for a second, before mentioning, "in general. I have a few questions."

Her questions baffled Yoongi. Especially because they came from the alpha of the clan. "Wait, wait," he stopped her mid-track. "Wasn't your mom an omega? How do you not know all this?"

She shrugged. "I don't know. It never came up."

"Huh," Yoongi frowned. "And, you've never had any other omega friend?"

Rae shook her head. This was, in fact, true. Although she was an open person, accepting towards all kinds of people with all possible identities - both concurring with their given Temporals and not - no omega ever seemed to gravitate towards her. Her friends were all gammas, kappas, iotas, rhos and lambdas, along with other acquaintances.

Her mixing with the greatest of the rowdy, vagabond temporals instead of the soft-spoken, put-together, demure kinds, was always of concern to Mr. Smith. And then her getting pregnant with a delta was like the ultimate nail to the coffin.

"So," Yoongi looked away from her and stared at the floor. "To answer your question, no! Not all omegas elicit the same kind of effect on alphas. They can, but they don't. It's not like they control it. It just doesn't happen.. until the omega has like a really strong connection to the alpha. That's.."

"What do you mean by connection?"

Rae's nail beds must have been gone by now. The corner of her index was still in between her lips when Yoongi answered.
"Like.. a close familial connection, or a romantic connection, or maybe a really, really strong friendship. Umm.. I'm guessing it did happen with your mom when you were growing up?"

Rae nodded.

"And.. it has happened again?"

Rae shot him a glance that made him stop at his line of questioning. He showed his palms in surrender and asked no more.

"There's another way this can happen," he continued. "It doesn't always need to be love and adoration. It can also be pure, pure hatred. Like.. you've heard about Apsara and the self-declared Count Johan of Meadhearth, right? That's about when this idea of omegas being able to control alphas became more popular. But what most people don't know is that Apsara could do that only because of her unadulterated hatred for a man who had been mistreating the women of her clan for decades. Meadhearth is weird!"

"So.." Yoongi took a chance again. He was curious. He'd probably be shot another glance or given a warning - nothing more. He had pretty much figured Rae out by now.

She was like an oyster, all shell and hard outside, but a soft blob on the inside. It was working for her, so he had nothing concrete for an intervention. He could only hope she was receiving proper therapy to cope with her emotions.

"What do you think? Is it love or hatred?" He asked, crossing his fingers.

****

When Rae finally returned to her room that night, she was nowhere close to a conclusion. Actually, she was even more confused.

A connection?

What connection could she possibly have with Namjoon?

Or, maybe he hates her?

With those new thoughts, she got to bed. She felt like a teenager, hanging on to the words coming out of another's mouth, analysing their behaviour, wondering what they might be thinking. Maybe if she knew Namjoon when they were in school - and if he interested her then as he does now - so many things would have been different.

Rae shuddered when she realized she would have not had Dakota in that case. Or, Duncan. She stared at the sourcream ceiling of her room, guiding her thought process towards her daughter's birthday and the 8th anniversary of Duncan's death.

This year - she had been planning since last year - would be all about her birthday. They would drive to the cemetery early in the morning to pay their respects, and that's it! The rest of the day would be all about Dakota reaching adulthood.